Strong leadership and direction that is beginning to pay off. Seems to be a concerted effort to provide paths to improvement and promotion in an effort to "build a bench" a few years after layoffs. Very smart people in every department.

Cons

Have to be comfortable with constant change in order to succeed. The recent move to an open office has led to the standard complaints of an open office (too loud/chaotic, loss of productivity).Hours can be long, especially during busy time.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Setting some guidelines/support for work from home could off-set some of the negatives of the new open office, especially with some of the very long commutes in the DC area.

Compensation, opportunity for travel and foreign assignments, very smart employees. Vision of C-suite leaders is inspirational.

Cons

Corporate culture in HQ out of touch with business operations and employees' career concerns. Non-C-Suite leaders ignore advice from director / manager level staff and only want to surround themselves with people who agree with their views.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Don't allow leaders to use operational changes as an excuse to change organizational structure multiple times a year. Develop a plan, staff accordingly, and execute. Changing direction so often is not strategic - employees simply do not believe the leaders and it undermines the vision of C-Suite. It also creates unnecessary shareholder risk.

AES is a place where there is always a lot going on. Across the organization there are new initiatives, issues challenges etc. that keep everyone busy. In more recent years much of the activity is a result of the company being proactive, so that is a good thing. I feel like I am always learning. The other great thing about working here is the people: smart, hard working, team players who are usually good fun to work with as well. Also, the team here in Arlington is very diverse: we have people here from so many different countries and with many different experiences. This helps to make the experience here both professionally and personally rewarding.

Cons

The pace is fast and sometimes the hours and the pressure are a challenge. It can go in cycles. When things are really tough you just need to hang in there and work through the challenges until things get somewhat normal.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Make sure that we are not over ambitious with how much we aim to do at once. Set clear priorities and decide which things will be done later rather than now.

The salary and benefits are pretty good for the DC area. Generally interesting work with a lot of opportunity to work with a diverse group of people across the globe. Most of the people I have worked with are great people to be around both inside and outside of work.

Cons

With all the recent cuts the work load has increased for everyone leading to lower quality of work-life balance. This is very much dependent on which group you work for. Company is run by a small subset of people that make most of the decisions with little regard for other people's opinions. Many major decisions are made based on feeling and or relationships rather than logic. Opportunity for advancement is small and generally given to those that are in the inner circle. Decentralized business model misses out on many of the benefits of a global company especially related to shared services. Businesses make decisions for themselves at a local level rather than AES as a global company which eliminates many of the benefits of being a large company.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Utilize everyone's advice to make decisions and not just people in the "inner circle". Centralize major purchasing/ business decisions so that AES can fully utilize the power of being a global company.

Diversity of Workforce, presence in 20 countries, career development opportunity, great salary and benefits.

Cons

Company's structure has changed a lot in the last years. Some of this changes were necessary, but it takes time for the company and employees to get used to it.

Recommends

Positive Outlook

Approves of CEO

AES Corporation Response

Dec 15, 2014 – Internal Communications

You’ve pretty much summed it up—AES is full of diverse people working towards an important mission of providing safe, reliable and sustainable energy solutions all around the world. We appreciate your contributions to the organization and glad you’re having a “great experience.”... MoreLess

worked with very experienced and intelligent professionals.provided an intern collaboration project to communicate with other interns.International Business environment.

Cons

The interactions between managers and entry level employees were limited.A traditional firm with a traditional work environment.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

More activities that promote more interactions between senior employees and entry level employees.More inter-department activities to let the interns know the functions and people from different department and business within the company.

Recommends

Positive Outlook

No opinion of CEO

AES Corporation Response

Dec 15, 2014 – Internal Communications

This is really valuable feedback. We want to ensure that our interns get the most out of their internship and will share this feedback with our HR team so they can continuously improve our internship program. Good luck in your future endeavors and thanks for spending time with us here at AES.... MoreLess

Pros: AES has a fast pace working environment. You will be surrounded with diverse, intelligent and energetic co-workers. Most people have the “can do” attitude. The compensation package is very reasonable. AES has a flexible working schedule but most people are working very hard to make sure the goals are accomplished.

Cons

The downside is that there is some inconsistency in leadership styles so it might not always reflect the company’s value. Also, many tiers of management/approvals can cause a delay in completing a project and some great ideas might not get implemented.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Promote teamwork and a platform for open collaboration in a flatter structure.

Recommends

Positive Outlook

Approves of CEO

AES Corporation Response

Dec 15, 2014 – Internal Communications

Thanks for leaving your feedback. We agree—we’re an organization full of people with “can do” attitudes. With that said, we hate to hear that you feel there are barriers to implementing new ideas. We highly encourage you (and others) to reach out to your Innovation Task Force member of Performance Excellence Task Force member to help get visibility for new ideas. We encourage and appreciate ideation so that we can continue to innovate.... MoreLess

The company has a very competitive compensation plan and the working hours is flexible as long as you get your work done.

Cons

It can be challenging to have work life balance if you want to meet all the expectation and demand, which most people would normally try to do.

Recommends

Neutral Outlook

Approves of CEO

AES Corporation Response

Dec 15, 2014 – Internal Communications

Thanks for leaving a review. We encourage you to reach out to your manager or HR business partner to discuss how to better manage your work/life balance. We want to make sure that you are able to find the balance that works best for your specific job function, your team and the things that matter most to you outside of work. Our people, like you, are our energy and we want to keep you energized!... MoreLess

At AES, we share a set of common values and a passion to help meet the world’s increasing energy needs, while providing communities and countries the opportunity to grow economically and socially by ensuring the availability of a reliable and environmentally responsible electricity supply.